Down 6% over the past 90 days
Based on eBay sales, last 12 months
Pre-owned watches trade across a wide condition spectrum. These ranges are typical for the secondary market.
If you want a dress watch on a leather strap, the Tank Louis Cartier is the answer. Designed in 1922 (a direct evolution of Louis Cartier's original 1917 Tank), the LC is the cushioned, gold-cased, narrow-lugged variation that defined what a dress watch should look like for the next century. Current production is hand-wind, 33mm, on Cartier-supplied leather, with the iconic blued sword hands.
The Tank itself dates to 1917, inspired by the silhouette of Renault tanks; the 'Tank Louis Cartier' variant launched 1922 and has been continuously produced since (with quartz, automatic, and hand-wind movements in different generations). The current production reference (WGTA0011 in pink gold, WGTA0017 in white gold) is hand-wind via Cartier's 1917 MC caliber. There are larger and smaller sibling variants; the 'Tank LC' designation in collector usage almost always refers to the 33mm dress-proportioned version on a leather strap.
Common things to check: case material (the pink-gold and white-gold versions trade at very different price points; verify hallmarks on the case-back); dial originality (refinished Cartier dials are spotted by the printing of the 'Cartier Paris' or 'Cartier' wordmark, the typography is unmistakable when original); strap and buckle (Cartier-supplied straps are leather + tang buckle in matching metal; replacements are common and acceptable but should be priced accordingly); crown (a sapphire cabochon, often blue, sometimes replaced, replacement is acceptable if disclosed). Vintage Tank LCs (pre-1990s gold-cased manual-wind examples) require additional dial and movement-authenticity verification.
Current-production Tank LC stock is broadly available at Cartier boutiques and from authorized dealers. Pre-owned examples within 2 years of purchase trade at meaningful discounts to retail (~15-25%), one of the better positions in dress watches for a buyer who doesn't need the boutique experience. Older boutique-authenticated examples (signed warranty cards, original strap and dust cover) carry the strongest resale.
The 1917 MC is a modern hand-wind caliber; service is performed by Cartier and by select Cartier-authorized independents. Service interval is generous, 7–10 years, and the cost is modest by haute-horlogerie standards (low-four-figures). The dressy use case means most Tank LC examples come to market with light wear and infrequent service, both of which is fine for the watch.
Community + OSINT signals haven’t landed for this reference yet. We don’t publish a rating against zero signal — the number would mean nothing. Editorial body + caliber + market value still surface above; ratings appear once the signal corpus does.
Blued sword hands with correct taper and white-lacquered Roman numeral chapter ring authenticate the Tank Louis Cartier
| Area | What to check | What is correct | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| dial | Roman numeral chapter ring and dial printing | White lacquered dial; Roman numerals printed in black with correct font and spacing; "Cartier" at 12 between numerals; Arabic "7" at the 7 position (Cartier tradition); "Paris" on older examples, "Swiss Made" at 6 on modern | Uneven Roman numeral spacing; missing Arabic "7"; blurry or thin dial printing; yellowed or cracked lacquer on modern examples |
| hands | Blued sword hands | Blued steel hands with sword shape tapering to a point; even blue color without paint or coating; minute hand extends to chapter ring; hands lie flat parallel to dial | Painted blue rather than heat-blued steel; hands that do not reach chapter ring; uneven color; hands that catch on dial or each other |
The Tank Louis Cartier in yellow gold is the purest expression of the Tank form. The dial furniture -- Roman numeral proportions, railroad minute track, and blued hands -- is the primary authentication checkpoint. Reproductions consistently fail on the typeface geometry of the Roman numerals.
| case | Rectangular case proportions and finishing | Rectangular case with "brancards" (side rails) in yellow or white gold per variant; case proportions consistent with documented LC dimensions (27.4mm x 34.8mm for large); polished finish; sapphire cabochon crown | Case proportions inconsistent with documented sizes; mixed finishing (satin where polished is correct); fake or missing sapphire cabochon on crown |
| movement | Manual-wind movement signing | Manual-wind movement, no rotor; "Cartier" or "ETA" base signed per generation; movement visible through display back on modern examples; no self-winding rotor | Rotor present (indicates wrong movement); quartz battery compartment; unsigned movement |
Cabochon crown stone is incorrect material or shape.
